The City of London provides local government services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. It is committed to maintaining and enhancing the status of the business City as the world's leading international financial centre through the policies it pursues and the high standard of services it provides. Its responsibilities extend far beyond the City boundaries in that it also provides a host of additional facilities for the benefit of London and the nation as a whole. These range from open spaces such as Epping Forest and Hampstead Heath, to the famous Barbican Arts Centre. Among local authorities the City of London is unique; not only is it the oldest in the country, but it operates on a non-party political basis through its Lord Mayor, Aldermen and members of the Court of Common Council. The City of London is delighted to be supporting the Debate London series, which will form a useful part of the continuing discussion about London's future. www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

Derwent London plc, the company's new name following the merger of Derwent Valley Holdings and London Merchant Securities in February 2007, is a leading central London office specialist with a combined portfolio valued at over £2.5 billion. A design-led award-winning property company with a reputation for high quality contemporary architecture and innovative refurbishment, Derwent London invests mainly in the West End, but also in those newly improving locations where it perceives future value. It is working to help reshape central London through inspirational and environmentally responsible design, and working with the brightest architects to create desirable space to work or live in. Now, with our enlarged portfolio, it is able to increase its commitment to refurbishment and redevelopment within the London villages. www.derwentlondon.com

Sponsoring both Global Cities and Debate London, Land Securities asserts both its investment in and its commitment to cultural and educational activities in Central London. The Capital Commitment Fund, launched in the autumn of 2004, has a priority focus on supporting communities around our developments, centring on children, youth and educational activities. Debate London, which is set to involve people from across the capital, and Land Securities, are united in their common goal of enriching Londoners' lives by encouraging engagement with their surroundings. Land Securities is the UK's largest real estate investment trust. Half our multi-billion pound portfolio is in London, where we are developing some of the capital's most innovative mixed-use schemes. www.capitalcommitment.co.uk

The Billboard Project was developed to more actively include young people in the regeneration process and to offer them an exciting and contemporary way of engaging in community discussion. The project was devised by Futurecity a cultural agency working in collaboration with Creative Partnerships Thames Gateway and supported by Arts Council England, East (ACEE) and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) via their unique shared prospectus. The only one of its kind in the UK, the shared prospectus identifies common areas for strategic joint investment that will harness the power of the arts to transform the social, economic and material conditions of local people and communities. EEDA is the body accountable for funding from the Department for Communities and Local Government.
www.billboardproject.co.uk

CABE is the governmentís advisor on architecture, urban design and public space. As a public body, we encourage policymakers to create places that work for people. We help local planners apply national design policy and offer expert advice to developers and architects. We work with public sector clients to commission buildings that are welcoming and well-designed.
The Architecture Foundation is one of the 18 architecture and built environment centres across England that CABE funds, to help inspire the public to demand more from their buildings and spaces.
www.cabe.org.uk

Tate Modern hosts Debate London as part of a summer season of activity focusing attention on how cities are changing our planet. The debates coincide with Tate Modernís Global Cities exhibition, a pioneering presentation of art and architecture in Tate Modernís Turbine Hall. Inspired by last yearís Venice Architecture Biennale, this free exhibition explores ten dynamic global cities as interpreted by leading international artists and architects. In a spectacular installation, you are invited to think about five urgent themes: size, speed, form, density and diversity. London is the focus of the investigation, alongside urban titans Cairo, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Mumbai, S„o Paulo, Shanghai and Tokyo. To illuminate this urban expedition are specially-commissioned works from Nigel Coates, Zaha Hadid, Fritz Haeg, Rem Koolhaas, Nils Norman and Richard Wentworth. This timely show also brings together the work of another twenty artists working in a wide range of media, including video andphotography, to offer a more subjective, livedí perspective of the cities in which we live.

Admission to Global Cities is free. 20 June - 27 August 2007. Sponsored by Land Securities. In association with Savills and Derwent London.
Visit www.tate.org.uk